Awake

[Saturday, 11/26/2022 11:15 AM] The weather that day seemed to mirror his dream — it was quite warm and sunny, but not hot. They greeted all the dogs they came across, and sometimes the honor was even extended to their owners. They were closer to Jackson but were in no hurry, so they decided to walk to Lincoln Park. — The beach or the lake? — Daniel asked the dog and, judging by her wide smile, concluded that she was opting for the lake. He did not mean Lake Michigan itself, but rather Lily Pool, but Mimi did not need this explanation — she already knew all their favorite places. On their way there, she appeared to see a squirrel and began to carefully peer into the crown of the tree, resting her paws on the trunk. Yet she behaved perfectly decently and did not bark without a good reason. Daniel turned his face to the sun, allowing Mimi to study animals in, not quite wild, but nature nevertheless. — Miss, excuse me, can I get a cigarette from you? — Daniel suddenly heard behind him and, turning around, saw a stereotypical college bro, wrong age, but still ticking all the boxes: tall, objectively handsome, blond, with a touch of Abercrombie and Fitch. The bro was a little taken aback when he came closer and saw that it was most likely not a girl in front of him, but Daniel just smiled. — I don’t smoke. And thanks for the compliment! — Sorry, I didn’t… — You didn’t mean to compliment me? — Daniel could hardly restrain himself from laughing. — No...I mean, yes. Shit. You have a wonderful dog. Is this a labrador? — You almost guessed it — a golden retriever. — Isn’t it the same? — No, — Daniel came closer to Mimi. The lover of free cigarettes was quite attractive, to be honest, but for some reason, Daniel didn’t want to look at him longer than it was absolutely necessary, let alone have a pleasant chat. But the bro wouldn’t let them alone and extended his pestering to Mimi, violating her boundaries with the touch of his giant paw. — Good dog! Are you hanging out here with your daddy? — I’m not her Dad, she’s adopted, — Daniel said with a sigh, wondering what was worse: the fact that his dog was being groped by a stranger or that he was called “daddy” — no matter what the context was. The man apparently had serious intentions to leave a prolonged unpleasant impression, because he asked: — Are you often mistaken for a girl? — No, it’s the first. The stranger became even more embarrassed, and Daniel took pity on him. — It happens occasionally. — Doesn’t that offend you? — No. Should it? In my opinion, when someone thinks you're a woman, even if it’s undeserved and almost unfounded, it is an honor. — Hmm, it’s an interesting point of view, — the guy came closer and also tried to see the squirrel. Then he suddenly extended his gigantic palm. — My name’s Martin. — Mine too, — Daniel lied without batting an eye. This Martin wasn’t worth the effort of coming up with a fake name. — What a coincidence! — An absolutely incredible one, — Daniel silently asked Mimi to forget about the squirrel and move on. — There’s a coffee shop nearby, so maybe… — Martin began but was interrupted. — Yes, I’m just going there. My wife and children are probably already tired of waiting. — He suffered no remorse at all for all these lies. — Sorry, — Martin seemed to have finally experienced extreme embarrassment. — It’s okay. Thank you for this compliment too. Goodbye, — he still had to let the dog know with a micro-movement that it was time to move on. She assessed the situation correctly and trotted forward along the path.